BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the state, including pending irrigation projects and the perennial problems faced by sugarcane growers and the mills.
After the recent agitation by sugarcane growers in north Karnataka districts, the State Government had brokered a solution by mandating an additional payment of Rs 100 per tonne of sugarcane, with the state bearing half the cost (Rs 50), Siddaramaiah told Modi.
The CM, however, stressed that this was a temporary measure and placed the onus for a permanent solution on the Centre, requesting an immediate revision of the frozen Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugar, currently at Rs 31 per kg, an assured offtake of ethanol from Karnataka’s distilleries, and a Central notification empowering states to fix harvesting and transport costs.
Siddaramaiah also sought the Centre’s approval for the long-standing demands of Karnataka, including setting up an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Raichur, the release of over Rs 2,100 crore as flood relief, and the clearance for crucial irrigation projects.
Though Karnataka has implemented the Jal Jeevan Mission by providing 86% of the households with tap connections, the Centre is yet to release its share of Rs 13,004.63 crore till 2025-26, Siddaramaiah claimed.
Further, the CM said that no Central funds have been released to the state for the fiscal year (2025-26) even as the state has already advanced Rs 1,500 crore from its own budget to prevent stoppage of development works.
“Bills worth Rs 1,700 crore are pending with another Rs 2,600 crore in the pipeline prompting an urgent request for the release of the balance funds,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah sought the PM’s intervention to break the logjam on several irrigation and drinking water projects, especially the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project across the Cauvery river in Kanakapura taluk. He also urged the Centre to direct the Central Water Commission (CWC) to expedite the needed clearances.
The CM also requested the gazette notification of the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award, pending for over a decade, besides urging the Centre to release Rs 5,300 crore announced in the 2023-24 Union Budget for the Upper Bhadra Project.
Siddaramaiah also urged that the forest and wildlife clearances should be given by the Environment Ministry for the Kalasa Banduri project across the Mahadayi river, as it will ensure the implementation of the drinking water projects for the Hubballi-Dharwad region.
Reminding that Karnataka submitted two memoranda seeking assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) as crops on 14.5 lakh hectares were damaged in the recent floods affecting 19 lakh farmers and destroying thousands of houses, roads, and schools, the CM sought Rs 2,136 crore. He also sought Rs 614.9 crore under rescue and relief to cover the shortfall in crop input subsidies.
Siddaramaiah also urged for the release of Rs 1,521.67 crore under recovery and reconstruction for restoring damage caused to the public infrastructure during the southwest monsoon.